Westminster man wins $200,000 in lottery

WESTMINSTER - Charles Hightower kept a lottery ticket worth $200,000 in a place he knew would be safe.

"I kept it in my Bible, where it couldn't be safer," he told lottery officials when he opened the book and handed over the $200,000 Cash scratch-off.

Too excited to sleep after he scratched the ticket, he sat up all night with his Bible safeguarding the ticket, according to a statement from lottery officials. He thought of all the options the ticket held and settled on paying off his house and buying a car.

"It took my breath away," he said.

The Westminster winner claimed the last $200,000 prize in the $200,000 Cash game.

The odds of winning $200,000 are 1 in 411,428.57.

Hightower purchased the ticket from Hasty Mart of S.C. 7 in Westminster. The retailer received a commission of $2,000 for selling the claimed ticket, according to lottery officials.

Since the start of the lottery in 2002, more than 920,000 college scholarships and grants have been awarded to South Carolina's students. In total, more than $2.5 billion has been transferred to support educational programs in the Palmetto State.